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Film
Overview Film is a communication medium that conveys information via a combination of moving images and sounds. The images are typically recorded by a video camera and edited later. Definition Films attempt to convey a message from the filmmakers to the audience on a large scale. As the years have gone by, people have regarded film in many different ways - a means of simple entertainment, a huge business worth billions of dollars, and an art form. Whatever the message, all films attempt to tell a story and within that story, there is a message. According to Hampe's article entitled "Visual Evidence", the only way to successfully get your message across within a film is to provide visual evidence for what's occurring on screen. Hampe writes that capturing visual evidence on screen doesn't entail "what you ''saw happening filming" or what you actually captured on film. It's about "the actual scene as it's recorded on film or videotape". He goes on, saying "it's not enough to know what you want to shoot. It's not even enough to know what really is happening in the situation you shit. You have to have evidence on film or video." (Hampe, "Visual Evidence"). For example, a scene in the ''Jaws ''script might have read, "the shark swims towards the camera". This would be easy to film, as it would be implicitly visual on a screen to see a shark approaching the camera - the evidence undoubtedly shows that a shark is moving closer to the camera. Let's suppose another scene read, "the angry shark swims towards the camera". This would be a little more difficult to film, as the producers would have to provide evidence on screen that the shark is angry whether it be via a closeup on the shark's face which shows angry expressions or by making the shark more aggressive. Now let's suppose another scene read "the lonley shark swims towards the camera". This would be extremely difficult to film because it would be almost impossible to convey that a shark is lonely - you wouldn't have enough evidence for it and therefore the scene would have to be altered a bit. ''Mise en scène The Jaws ''scenario from above is an example of how a director films his story - also known as the mise en scène. '''Mise en scène '(French for 'putting into the scene')' '''is "a film's overall visual design, created by all of the elements placed before the camera" (Prince, ''Movies and Meaning). The four main elements of mise en scène are: setting, costume and makeup, lighting, and of course acting. When combined, these four elements provide insight into the key messages that the filmmakers are attempting to convey. A change in the elements of mise en scène could change the entire dynamic of a certain scene in a film. In this sense, setting, costume and makeup, lighting, and acting serve as the affordances of film as well as keys to obtaining proper evidence within a film. Setting Setting 'is the location that the film takes place in. Film settings can be on sets (built areas usually used for interior shots) or in a specific location (in an actual place, used predominantly for exterior shots). Settings afford filmmakers the ability of giving their story a location. In many cases, settings determine the entire tone and plot of the film. For example, a movie about cowboys would make little sense if the setting of the film was placed in the American Northeast - the conventional setting for a movie about cowboys would be in the American South or Southwest (Phillips, ''Film: An Introduction). Costume and Makeup '''Costumes are outfits worn by actors in films. These outfits are representative of the characters that the actors are representing. Makeup is another form of costume in which the faces and bodies of actors are disguised/transformed so that the actors resemble the characters they are portraying. Costumes and makeup afford the filmmaker the ability to capture the exact essence and replication of the film's characters more accurately. Both costumes and makeup are linked to settings. For example, a movie about the Civil War would be deemed inaccurate if the characters in the film were dressed in Revolutionary-era attire (Bordwell and Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction). Lighting 'Lighting '''is the way in which lights are manipulated in a film. Lighting can accentuate certain elements of what's occurring on screen and can serve as a means of shifting our attention to the accentuated element. Lighting affects the tone of the film based on the context of the scene in the film. Typically, bright lights are associated with majestic beauty while dark lighting is associated with evil creepiness. Bordwell and Thompson claim that, "lighter and darker areas within the frame help create the overall composition of each shot and guide our attention to certain objects and actions. A brightly illuminated patch may draw our eye to a key gesture, while a shadow may conceal a detail or build up suspense about what may be present" (Bordwell and Thompson, ''Film Art: An Introduction). Acting 'Acting '''is the performance of characters by actors. Movies would be nothing without characters and acting is what brings these characters to life. According to Bordwell and Thompson, "an actor’s performance consists of visual elements (appearance, gestures, facial expressions) and sound (voice, effects)" (Bordwell and Thompson, ''Film Art: An Introduction). The tiniest details regarding the way in which an actor chooses to perform a role can have profound effects on the film. For example, if a character in a film is supposed to be a cynical old man, the actor portraying that character should use facial expressions indicative of grumpiness and dissatisfaction. The actor should even consider making alterations to his voice to make it sound meaner and grouchier. History The following is a broad history of film. Early History: Motion Pictures, Nickelodeons, and Silent Films (late 1880s - 1929) Originally referred to as "motion pictures", films were first invented in the late 1800s as a result of the scientific experimentation of English photographer Eadweard Muybridge and French scientist Etienne-Jules Marey. Muybridge was interested in putting photography in motion and he achieved this through "stop-action photography of animals and human beings in motion" (Gazetas, An Introduction to World Cinema). In 1887, Muybridge developed a projection machine, the Zoopraxiscope, modeled after the Zoetrope. Zoetropes are revolving discs that contain a multitude of images, and when spun, creates the illusion that the images are moving. This video will give the reader a better idea of how a Zoetrope works: Etienne-Jules Marey "constructed a camera that contained a rotating disc, which when triggered was capable of 'shooting' 12 frames per second" (Gazetas, An Introduction to World Cinema). Marey was interested in viewing animals in motion, especially birds in flight. French producer and director Georges Méliès was one of the first people who saw the potential commercial value in this new art form. Beginning in 1887, Méliès would go on to produce/direct/distribute over 500 short films. The majority of these films were very short, one-shot films done in one take. Méliès drew many comparisons between film and the stage, only he realized that film afforded him the ability (via his use of timelapse photography) to "produce visual spectacles not achievable in the theater" (Gazetas, An Introduction to World Cinema). For a better understanding of his work, watch one of his short films, The India Rubber Head ''(1901). Another influential filmmaker from this era was Edwin S. Porter. In 1896, Porter, a projectionist, was hired by Thomas Edison to develop his new projection model known as the Vitascope. Porter wanted to use a style of filmmaking that would move away from the one-shot short films into a "story-telling narrative" style (Gazetas, ''An Introduction to World Cinema). Two of his films, The Life of an American Fireman ''(1902) and ''The Great Train Robbery ''(1903) served as the vehicle(s) that would launch the film medium into mass popularity. This new style of narrative story-telling became so popular, that storefront theaters were converted into nickelodeons, theaters that exclusively showed short silent films (Gazetas, ''An Introduction to World Cinema). As more and more people began discovering how profitable this new industry was, the more the industry began to turn into a big corporation-type market. Between 1919-1929, Hollywood, California became the hotspot for the industry's biggest and most touted movie studies, including the "Big Three": Paramount, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and First National. Audiences during this time were captivated by silent film stars such as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin (Gazetas, An Introduction to World Cinema). Hollywood: Sound, The Golden Years, the Transition, and the Revival (1930 - 1976) Sound was first used in films in 1927 with the release of the hit film, The Jazz Singer. Audiences responded extremely positively to the new sound technique, and the industry became even more popular. Sound afforded filmmakers of the time the ability to develop their stories like they'd never been able to before. Not only that, but with another huge surge of popularity in the industry came even more financial gains, which movie studios looked to cash in on (Gazetas, An Introduction to World Cinema). The addition of sound to the film industry made the films all the more intriguing and appealing to audiences. Gazetas confirms this, saying, "the coming of sound brought excitement to motion pictures, not only through the introduction of spoken dialogue, or sounds of music to underscore the drama, but also as actual sound effects of urban violence to shock and terrify the audience" (Gazetas, An Introduction to World Cinema). Beginning in 1930, Hollywood entered its "Golden Years". Movie stars such as Katharine Hepburn, Judy Garland, and Cary Grant began emerging and brought with them a huge amount of star power which kept moviegoers returning to the theaters every time a new movie came out. These Golden Years would continue until 1945, when World War II ended (Gazetas, An Introduction to World Cinema). During 1947-1952, several changes occurred which changed the nature of filmmaking. One change was the emergence of television. Because television was becoming a very popular visual medium, filmmakers had to come up with new ways of retaining large audiences. This lead to the filmmakers experimenting with 3-D movies and color. Another change was the subject matter within films. The 1952 Supreme Court decision in Burstyn and Wilson ''made it so that filmmakers could exercise free speech within their films. As a result, many filmmakers began making movies "on controversial subject matter". Some of this subject matter included films whose themes are about being rebellious and going against social norms. Furthermore, "Hollywood producers decided to make films that included a more adult attitude toward the depiction of social and sexual relationships" (Gazetas, ''An Introduction to World Cinema). This was a large switch from the classic light-hearted nature of earlier Hollywood films. These changes would be proliferated even more so during the 1960s and into the 1970s as a result of the counterculture occurring in the United States at that time. Filmmakers chose to delve even deeper into "the sexual and psychological conflicts of the offbeat hero" and "the antihero protagonist, who as a misfit, loner, or outlaw, challenged the norms and values of modern industrial society" (Gazetas, An Introduction to World Cinema). Modern Film: Auteurs and Blockbusters (mid-1970's - Present) As the years went by and big directors started compiling impressive filmographies, while simultaneously developing a certain directional style common in all of their films, the importance of the film industry wasn't placed with actors - it was placed with directors. Advertisements used to say, "Come see the new Cary Grant film". Whereas now the advertisements say, "Come see the new movie directed by Christopher Nolan". This film theory is called auteurism - films are considered "works of personal expression" by the director (Prince, Critical Conversation There are many different theories of film that describe how films should be interpreted based on whatever framework is being used. One framework is described as the Realist model, made popular by Andre Bazin. Realist theories "look for points of correspondence between film images, and the social psychological, and physical realities before the camera" (Prince, Movies and Meaning). Essentially, Bazin believed that film should serve the purpose of reflecting one's reality back at the audience. Another framework is described as the Ideological model. These theories seek to examine various social constructs via a story in a film. Often times, films viewed under this framework are considered to send a message regarding social goings-on across the globe (Prince, Movies and Meaning). One last framework is described as the Psychoanalytic model. These theories seek to "emphasize film's elicitation of unconscious sources of pleasure". Common themes found in films viewed under this framework include voyeurism, fetishizing of the body, and taboo images (Prince, Movies and Meaning). Examples The following is a brief description of two very different films. Bowling for Columbine Bowling for Columbine ''is a 2002 documentary film. The director, Michael Moore, made the film as a social commentary on gun violence in America with regards to the Columbine Massacre of 1999. Moore touched on many aspects of the issue including the effect of gun violence on youths and weapons of mass destruction. He used interviewees as his characters and the setting varied from interview to interview (Wikipedia, "Bowling for Columbine). Documentaries seek to convey a specific message or argument regarding the real world - they're nonfiction. As a result, directors of documentaries use methods that most other filmmaking genres don't typically apply. These include interviews and a sometimes-definitive setting. ''American Beauty American Beauty ''is a 1999 drama film. The film tells the fictional tale about the struggles of an upper-middle class family that has grown apart emotionally. The director, Sam Mendes, made the film as a symbolic piece which points out flaws in American suburban society and the materialism that is often associated with it (Wikipedia, "American Beauty"). Keywords * Medium * Counterculture * Affordances * Visual Further Reading * The American Society of Cinematographers http://www.theasc.com/ac_society/index.php - a monthly film periodical which discusses the ever-changing techniques involved in cinematography. * MacGuffin - a film periodical focusing specifically on the work of the influential filmmaker and auteur Alfred Hitchcock. * Hampe, “Visual Evidence” - a WAM wiki page which describes a reading by Barry Hampe that gets more in-depth into visual evidence and its importance to filmmaking. * Camera Obscura - a scholarly film journal published three times a year by the members of Duke University Press. * Asian Cinema - a scholarly film journal which examines specifically Asian cinema and it's cultural impacts. Citations * "American Beauty." ''Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 3 March 2015. * "Bowling for Columbine." ''Wikipedia. ''Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 3 March 2015. * Bordwll, David and Kristin Thompson. * Gazetas, Aristides. ''An Introduction to World Cinema. ''Jefferson: McFarland Company, Inc, 2000. Print. * Hampe, Barry. ''Documentary Films and Videos: A Practical Guide to Planning, Filming, and Editing Documentaries. ''New York: Holt Paperbacks, 2007. Print. * Phillips, William H. ''Film: An Introduction. ''Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. 2009. Print. * Prince, Stephen. ''Movies and Meaning. ''Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 2004. Print. Images and Videos: * http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/images/marey_camera_3_500.jpg * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3yarT_h2ws * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9NWOQiYWxc * http://www.filmsite.org/posters/jazz3.gif Film Essays: * http://everyframeapainting.tumblr.com/ Category:StubCategory:FilmCategory:KeywordCategory:GenreCategory:Media